Here in Port Charlotte, Cockroaches are a Year-Round Problem!
Cockroaches: a popular, or depending on your perspective, an unpopular subject, especially in Florida, and specifically right here in Port Charlotte, FL. You see, our warm and humid climate is heaven to around 70 species these nasty bugs. So, where to begin has been somewhat of a challenge, to say the least. Why? You may ask. Well, there are so many different kinds of Cockroaches, not to mention a sea of information and opinions on them, as well as, they are just gross, to me. After days of research, reading, and gathering data, I have put together some facts that are hopefully easy to understand. I encourage you to please read the health warnings below.
Here are a Few Common Florida Species of Roaches we encounter when performing the Removal of Port Charlotte Cockroaches
German Cockroach: This infamous roach is well known throughout Florida; actually, throughout the world, where ever there are humans. It is said that the only limiting factor is cold weather. However, German Cockroaches can and will survive colder climates where there is central heat; in other words, they are found in Alaska and colder climates as well. Now, here’s a creepy fact: Though adults of both sexes have well-developed wings, these roaches rarely fly and prefer to scamper and crawl across surfaces instead. However, they can, they will, and have been known to fly…yuck! The availability of water, food, and shelter will also govern the ability of the German Cockroach to establish populations. According to the University of Florida, the German Cockroach has three life stages: the egg, nymph, and adult; this is also true for most Cockroaches. The entire life cycle is completed in about 100 days. German Cockroaches breed continuously with many overlapping generations present at any one time. Under ideal conditions, population growth has been shown to be exponential. The German Cockroach is omnivorous, eating table scraps, pet food, and even book bindings. There are some very important facts about these nasty roaches; 1) The health risks: E.G., German Cockroaches adulterate food or food products with their feces and defensive secretions (an oily nasty substance), physically transport and often harbor pathogenic organisms, may cause severe allergic responses, and in extremely heavy infestations have been reported to bite humans and feed on food residues on the faces of sleeping humans. Dangerous for adults and children. Infestations of German Cockroaches can have a sweet, sickening smell. Tiny black (looks like black pepper), feces can be seen in and around drawers, cabinet doors, and even in appliances. They enter your home in many ways, one is through pipes and sewage, which makes them even more unsafe for humans.
American Cockroach: The American Cockroach is often found in moist shady areas such as hollow trees, woodpiles, and mulch. Mulch around your home will most often insure a safe haven for the American Cockroach. Another important fact about this roach is, they migrate into houses and apartments from sewers via the plumbing, and from trees and shrubs located alongside homes (buildings), or especially where branches overhanging roofs. It is important to keep in mind, that the American Cockroach is a public health problem due to its association with human waste and disease and its ability to move from sewers into homes and commercial establishments.
Brown-Banded Cockroach: This small roach lives its entire life indoors. It closely resembles the German Cockroach, but it can be distinguished by the absence of two dark pronotal stripes. Brown-banded Cockroaches are closely associated with humans and have the potential to adversely affect human health. According to Kramer and Brenner (2009), cockroaches are recognized as one of the most important sources of allergens, with about half of asthmatics allergic to cockroaches. Allergens from cockroaches include cast skins and excrement. Some symptoms of cockroach-induced allergies include sneezing, skin reactions, and eye irritation (Wirtz 1980).
Florida Woods Cockroach: Also known as the “Palmetto Bug” is about 30–40 mm. The large Palmetto Bug is native to the southeastern United States. The Palmetto Bug lives in and around human habitations and can be found in structures near the home, such as storage areas, greenhouses, or shelter boxes for other structures such as water pumps. It is also an occasional invader of the home, but lacks effective flight wings and is slow-moving. WARNING: The adults of this species have a defensive secretion, which is stored in a gland on the underside of the abdomen. As a defensive chemical, the oily, odiferous secretion is harmful to skin and sensitive tissue such as the eyes. This is not good for humans and can be harmful. Please contact your physician immediately if you or your children have been exposed and are experiencing symptoms.
Oriental Cockroach: The oriental Cockroach, also known as the “Water bug” or “Black Beetle” is a large species of cockroach, adult males being 18–29 mm and adult females being 20–27 mm. They are dark brown or black in color and have a glossy body. This roach is common outdoors and lives in warm, damp, shady areas near the ground or any area containing natural debris. It will often seek refuge indoors when a drop in temperature occurs but is still quite tolerable of cooler weather. The Oriental Cockroach is often found feeding on garbage, sewage, or decaying organic matter and will eat almost anything. A diet high in starch is preferred. These roaches live and travel in sewer pipes, in floor drains, and under sinks, or any other damp, cool areas in a house or restaurant. The roach travels through the structure on plumbing pipes. Outside the house or restaurant, they sometimes aggregate near or under garbage cans. The fact that these roaches’ diet include sewage and garbage makes them a health hazard for humans.
Australian Cockroach: The Australian cockroach is one of several species of peridomestic cockroaches (cockroaches that live mostly outdoors but occasionally may be found indoors) and this species of cockroach is the most common cockroach species found outdoors in southern Florida. This species resembles the American cockroach but can be distinguished by the presence of light-yellow bands on the upper margins of the forewings.
IMPORTANT Medical Warning: Cockroaches are closely associated with humans and commonly dwell in homes or restaurants with poor sanitation practices. However, and with that said, it is not uncommon for the cleanest of us to find a cockroach in our home or restaurant from time to time. If you do, please contact Bug OFF Pest or your local pest control company immediately to rid your home or restaurant of this nasty bug before it can cause an infestation, which can occur quickly. Keep in mind, these pests may affect human health in several ways, such as food contamination by their excrement, mechanical dissemination of pathogens and induced allergies. The potential for cockroaches to mechanically transmit pathogens has been proposed due to the recovery of at least 32 species of bacteria in 16 genera, 17 fungal species, and three protozoan species from cockroaches recovered from both indoor and outdoor environments (Kramer et al. 2009).
Another human risk attributed to cockroaches includes induced allergies caused by inhalation, ingestion, or dermal abrasion of cockroach-produced allergens. It has been documented that about one-half of asthmatic patients are allergic to cockroaches. Symptoms of allergies caused by cockroaches can be sneezing, skin reactions, and eye irritation (Wirtz 1980). More severe allergic reactions can present as breathing difficulty or anaphylactic shock (symptoms including an itchy rash, throat swelling, and low blood pressure), which is life-threatening (Brenner et al. 1991).
There you have it, just a few facts for you on a few Florida roaches. Actually, these roaches can be found around the United States and most of the world. The bottom line here, is do not mess around with these nasty bugs. Contact Bug OFF Pest, or your local pest control company for a free evaluation. These bugs have no business in your home around your family, they are dangerous in regards to your health in more ways than one. Check out the https://bugoffpest.net/what-type-of-pests-might-be-in-my-home/ page for more information and a description of every variety of Port Charlotte roach you might encounter!
Personally, I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for all the kind compliments received on our blogs. Here at Bug OFF Pest, it is our pleasure, and our goal to provide helpful and educational information to our customers and clients so they may better understand the bugs in their world. There is way too much information to convey it all. However, our goal is to provide you with a few resources, some helpful information, as well as simple answers in simple layman terms for better understanding. The research for this article was quite interesting and very in-depth. Hopefully, some of your questions were answered and your concerns addressed. Please feel free to contact the good folks at Bug OFF Pest with further questions or concerns you may have. Thank you again for following.
